Morning journal and courier., 1887-07-08
AN UNsERvRD sUBPGNA.


 Case, Said to Have Left the state
 Sheriff Gates Deputies at Least
 Can't Find Him-What He Told
 Friend-The Grand Jury Resume Their Deliberations C0nduetOF Mason Tells His StOry-He Believes Coffee Hnnocent-Isaac Howard Said to Have Confessed to O. Bates That He Did the Job-Theories Advanced l Which Might Prove Probable. The Stony Creek murder case has aroused | great deal of interest and attention about | the State. The evidence is all circumstantial | and legal Men give it as their opinion that it will be exceedingly difficult to convict ! Coffee if he is convicted at all.
 The grand jury yesterday morning resumed | their work on the taking of testimony from | the many witnesses connected with the case.
 Lanlord J. B. Northrop, of the Island View House, was the first witness examined. Edwin Hurd was called in after few moments, MT. Northrop not having anything | of value to impart. MT. Hurd was ques- toned as to Ways character. Detective Bates followed MT. Hurd and it is supposed l gave the jurors the main evidence on which | it will probably find true bill against Coffee. The taking of testimony was con- | tinued throughout the day. The majority of the witnesses gave testimony of an unin- portant character and which had but little
 bearing on the case. Most of them testified
 as to the character borne by Coffee and his | connections with Way. Coffee was the very picture of indifference yesterday. From his ! appearance one would judge that the testi- | mony given has been of a very conflicting | character. He bears the manner of man who is not in the least afraid of being con victed of the terrible crime of murder. The
 witnesses were not all examined yesterday and the taking of testimony will be resumed | again this morning. It is thought probable | that the jury will make their decision known | sometime to day. The authorities feel sure | of true bill.
 ! James Baldwin, one of Detective Bates witnesses, has disappeared and has left the State, it is learned. The detective very natl l urally says that Baldwin was of no great inn portance for his case, but admits it is rather annoying that he should leave before the trial had commenced. From one of the wit nesses from Stony Creek it was learned that Baldwin was very important witness in the case and that Bates was very mad to think he could not be found. What it was that
 Baldwin was expected to tell about the case
 %n GSuld s.n not be oo learned, .o,z however; yer Baldwin was an extremely clever fellow and left as soon as he learned that there was going to be @ trial. The reporters informant told how Baldwin in his presence had told Bates that it had become absolutely necessary that he should remove to Derky' The detective he says saw he could not retain him as it was not time for any arrests to be made Baldwin promised him that he would l be where he could be found when wanted.
 He did move presumably to Derby and told the informant that Bates would never get him mixed up with the case. At any rate Baldwin left Stony Creek. Yesterday afternoon about five o'clock an unserved subpoena was returned to Assistant l Clerk Anketell of the Superior court. Mir. l Anketell was told that Baldwin could not be | found anywhere about Derby although the | most vigorous search had been made by ! Sheriff Gates deputies. What bearing, if | any, Baldwin's disappearance will have oD | the case is not known. The evidence being | all circumstantial, it is the opinion of some that Baldwin knew great deal more about | the case than Bates is willing to admit. One | thing is certain, it is source of great annoy | ance to the detective that a bird has flown at | this early date.
 Conductor Mason, who has received con- | siderable notoriety from the case, makes a ] few contradictory statements regarding the | stories published about him. He fatly de- | nies that he ever visited Coffee's house in I company with Way and women of ill-repute. | He gave very logical reason why he couldn't | even if he was so inclined. At the time of | the accident he was running On the train known as the "scoot.'' It never made stop longer than three minutes at the Creek station and he can't see how anyone can inn agine that he would leave his train so open ly. He always continued on to Guilford, where his train was put up. The stories were a regular libel on him.
 Conductor Mason was changed from the | "scoot" train some time early in June and he is now doing day duty on Shore Line ex~ press.
 ''Did Coffee go out on your train the night | of the accidenta'
 'FHe did and I am positive of it."
 'At that rate he must necessarily be inno- ! cent"
 sfOf course he isl When in liquor he tells | contradictory stories about his whereabouts on the night of the murder. These dime novel stories told about this case are laugh able in the extreme"
 Isaac Howard of Branford, according to Detective Bates, has confessed: Howard says: "Me and Pete did the job together and he won't betray me; he's good man and will keep his oath" After an expression of great admiration for the shrewdness of the killing of Way another similar job was elab- orated, and then Howard was asked "what they got" out of the Way job and he replied:
 sfOh, about $100." He was asked if there was not something else they could have talk en-any jewelry which they could have sold. stAll there was," he said, "was a - old silver watch, and they wouldn't take that"
 After the grand jury had adjourned yester- day afternoon four of them were in conver- sation in the court house lobby.
 ''Let the dead rest in peace" exclaimed one.
 'sYes; don't believe in raking up all those back things against the young man," said another.
 From further conversation overheard it was ascertained that the jury pays but little attention to the many stories current about Ways immoral character.
 Another theory which was discussed about the court house yesterday, and which is fast gaining ground, is that Way was murdered by wronged husband. It is said that married woman in Stony Creek was engaged in writing letter to Way a day or two be- fore the murder, warning him that her hus- band had threatened to make things warm for him. The husband came in while the woman was writing the letter, and obtaining possession of the document made quite a scene. The theory is to the effect that the enraged husband might have gone to the depot with one or two other persons with the intention of killing the station agent.
 More arrests will follow the finding of the grand jury.